The present invention relates to a container for storing substrates that vertically holds a plurality of substrates aligned at certain intervals.
Such a container for storing substrates is used for storing substrates such as glass substrates used for liquid display devices or plasma display devices.
In such a container for storing substrates, conventionally, an opening on one end side of a container main unit formed in a tube shape that extends horizontally is configured as an entrance for loading and unloading substrates one at a time, and a fan filter unit, which performs ventilation from an opening on the other end side toward the entrance of the container main unit, is provided at an opening portion on the other end side of the container main unit (for example, see JP 2001-308169A).
In the above-described container for storing substrates, by performing ventilation with clean air (or filtered air) from an opening on the other end side toward the entrance of the container with the fan filter unit, the clean air being discharged from the entrance, dust present inside the container is prevented from attaching to the substrate and also, outside air is prevented from entering inside the container even when airflow around the container is disturbed due to operation of the container transfer device or the like, thereby maintaining purity of substrates in the container.
However, although the speed of air in the container for maintaining purity of substrates may be comparatively low as long as dust present inside the container is prevented from attaching to substrates, it is necessary to set the speed of air discharged from the container comparatively high in order to prevent back flow of the outside air from the entrance. Therefore in terms of the ventilation flow rate of the fan filter unit, the speed of air discharged from the container needs to be comparatively high, which increases the running cost of the fan filter unit.